Christopher McNerney

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Title: Environmental Chemist
Office Location: CSE 222
Phone: (715) 682-1810
Email: cmcnerney@northland.edu

Education

B.S., Biology with emphasis in Aquatic Science, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

Profile

I am originally from Green Bay and have recently relocated to Ashland from Fort Collins, Colorado.

As an Environmental Chemist with Northland College I am working on the development of an accredited analytical laboratory on campus. The Applied Research and Environmental Laboratory (ARELab) will provide services to citizens and natural resource professionals throughout the Northland. I will be creating applied learning opportunities for Northland College students through internships, work studies, and independent studies in conjunction with NC faculty and staff. Data obtained from ARELab will be used to support a wide range of environmental management decisions throughout the region. Having the opportunity to join Northland College and create a certified laboratory is something that dreams are made of. I feel honored and privileged to be able to work with Northland College students and help them develop their professional careers.

For as long as I can remember, the outdoors has been my release and has sculpted me to who I am today. My earliest memories are sitting on the edge of my grandfather’s dock and pan fishing. My grandfather would call to them, “Here fishy, fishy. Here fishy, fishy”. Like magic it seemed to work every time. From there I have been on a continuous journey to enjoy nature and everything it has to offer. After graduation from college, the Wild West beckoned me. So, I began a new chapter in my life and made a bold move to colorful Colorado. It made sense to me to live in Colorado to enjoy the endless exploration of mountain wilderness. I was able to develop my career by gaining applied knowledge as a radiochemistry technician with ALS Laboratory Group, fisheries biologist with Colorado State University, and a technical consultant with Hach Company.

Volunteering for public and government organizations has been an important aspect of my career. It started in La Crosse, Wisconsin with the US Fish and Wildlife Service locating paddlefish on the Chippewa River. I have been to the center of the universe at Dinosaur National Monument where I spent three summers providing the public with information on endangered fish threatened by non-indigenous invasive aquatic species, damns, and other ecological impacts established in the area. I also located new nesting sites and observed movements of the American Peregrine Falcon. The most rewarding volunteer experience was the six and a half years spent with the Larimer County Search and Rescue team. I assisted in the location of missing subjects in the wilderness, performed technical rescues, and provided preventative search and rescue seminars on wilderness travel and preparedness to the public. And of course, I was able to further develop my survival skills in the woods.

My interests outside of my professional career still remain centered around the outdoors. I enjoy mountain biking, hiking, camping, fishing, any kind of skiing (telemark being my favorite), and wildlife photography. I am a sports fanatic with strong admiration of fútball (yes, soccer). I enjoy being engaged in my kids every day activities, but especially love to laugh with them in their imaginary world of purity. My outdoor roots have become even stronger as I teach my kids the abundant joys of this wonderful world we live in. The calls of my grandfather will be forever heard.


“A man on foot, on horseback or on a bicycle will see more, feel more, enjoy more in one mile than the motorized tourists can in a hundred miles.”
— Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire

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